As I continue to get the word out about wonderful libraries in the area, I wanted to share one of my family's favorites! The Wallingford Library has 67,000 square feet of space in its main location on North Main Street plus one of the best library websites I have ever seen. They also have a second, much smaller, location in Yalesville - at 400 Church Street - with limited hours.
In addition to a wonderful collection of books and reference materials, the Wallingford Library has a huge assortment of books on tape/CD, DVDs, and music CDs. They have a wonderful separate room for the Children's Library that is the dream of any youngster with a huge tree (great for Hobbits) and a train running right thro
ugh it.
The staff is wonderfully helpful, and if you can't find what you are looking for within their walls, wander over to the reference desk and see if they can't get it for you from somewhere else! But once you have found what you are looking for, if you want to have some fun, use the self-service checkout (although it is really much more fun to check out the regular way and chat with the librarians)!
From the library's website, you can download audio books, and if you are an e-book reader, you can now borrow those as well! The e-books are compatible with the Sony Reader and Barnes & Noble Nook. You can also access your account online where you can request books (from many other libraries as well as the Wallingford Library), check on the due date of your borrowed materials, and renew items that are due before you will be done with them. The system also allows you to keep a record of the things you have checked out if you wish.
If Genealogy is your thing, the Wallingford Library has the Connecticut Collection which houses many books about Wallingford families as well as families throughout Connecticut. Information not located there? Use one of their many computers to access Ancestry.com, HeritageQuest, or Biography & Genealogy Master Index.
Another innovative thing about the Wallingford Library is that they have their own used book store. "The Bookseller" is housed to the left of the back entrance to the library under the green awning and is staffed by volunteers. Regular hours are Monday, 10:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., Wednesday, 1:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., and Saturday, 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
Check out their amazing calendar of events from which you can sign up for an event, send yourself a reminder, or e-mail the event to a friend! With this being "Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read," you might want to stop in for "Literature for a Lifetime: Once Banned, Now Classic/Book Discussion" when The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain will be discussed.
This post has barely scratched the surface of what the Wallingford Library has to offer. It is truly a Great Public Library!
For links to your favorite Library check out my list: Libraries Throughout the State of Connecticut.
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